This invention relates to a tray device which can be easily connected to or removed from a piece of furniture as well as rotated or swiveled in connection with it. More particularly, the invention relates to a tray member and a supporting base member wherein a combined snap-fit and pivotal arrangement is provided as well as a receptacle receiving compartment which adds stability to the tray.
Removable and pivotal tray members are known for attachment to the arm of a chair. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,375,565 an ashtray 25 is mounted on a chair arm 10. The ashtray is carried by a head member 18 from which extends a pivot or mounting pin 16 in sleeve 15. A rotary tray attachment for folding chairs is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,994,366. In this particular unit, a wing nut 34 is employed in conjunction with a clamp 30 to provide attachment to the chair as well as a spring leaf 57 and a strap 22 with an associated thumb set screw 26. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,116,046 a refreshment holder is described which is attached to the arm of a chair by the means of spring clips 12 and 13. A clip-on tray is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,661 with an insert portion 14 fitting between the leg 20 and the tubular member 18 with a rivet 24 being accommodated in the slot 16 of the insert portion. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,586,367 and 4,300,798 illustrate threaded clamping or pivotal attachments for tray members and chairs.
Many of the tray or holder units described in the previously referred to patents require the manipulation of various component parts. Others do not afford a secure attachment for a tray which is designed to hold large quantites of food and beverages.
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a tray device which can be readily attached to and disconnected from a piece of furniture such as a chair, yet at the same time be pivotal or rotatable therewith. Another advantage of the tray device of this invention is the previously referred to pivotal attachment between a chair and the tray which does not require the fastening of securing elements such as threaded screws or wing nuts. A still further advantage of the present invention is a tray device which can be secured to the arm of a lawn chair in a snap-fit arrangement, yet at the same time afford a pivoting thereof. Other advantages are a tray of the foregoing type which is manufactured with only two components that provide a stable rotation of the tray in conjunction with a chair when it is utilized to support beverage or food items, as well as a tray device for attachment to a chair which can be manufactured in an economical manner.